Difference between revisions of "Analogue video output options for OSSC"

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== Getting VGA from your OSSC ==
+
== Getting analogue video from your OSSC ==
  
 
The OSSC can be adapted to output analogue video simply and affordably by using any standard DVI/HDMI to VGA adapter. There are no special requirements for this adapter and pretty much any model on the market will suffice. This allows the unit to be used with high quality analogue only displays, such as PC CRT monitors, CRT projectors, etc.
 
The OSSC can be adapted to output analogue video simply and affordably by using any standard DVI/HDMI to VGA adapter. There are no special requirements for this adapter and pretty much any model on the market will suffice. This allows the unit to be used with high quality analogue only displays, such as PC CRT monitors, CRT projectors, etc.
 +
 +
Although this page was created with the OSSC in mind, there's no reason why these adapters couldn't be used with other processors or digital video equipment, but keep in mind that HDMI devices that use HDCP copy protection may not be compatible with adapters like these.
  
 
== Tested HDMI/DVI to VGA adapters ==
 
== Tested HDMI/DVI to VGA adapters ==
  
−
Gunstar from the Shmups forum (original thread [http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=59860]) has very kindly tested a number of HDMI/DVI to VGA adapters with his OSSC.
+
Gunstar and Xer Xian from the Shmups forum (original thread [http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=59860]) have very kindly tested a number of HDMI/DVI to VGA adapters with the OSSC. Their findings are presented here. The community is encouraged to add to this page as other converters are tested.
 +
 
 +
For the converters tested by Xer Xian, all the screenshots in their original resolution (plus 1080p Pixel perfect) can be downloaded from http://www.mediafire.com/file/x998mhca1k5ly4n/DACs_shootout.rar
 +
 
 +
Note that the capture device used for the image comparisons was not fully calibrated and consequently the grey ramp in the source picture is not spot on. This doesn't invalidate the testing, as long as you evaluate the DACs' grey ramps by comparing them to the source, any deviation means the DAC is not neutral. Any artefacts present in these images were there to begin with and are most likely the fault of compression applied by the capture device. Remember to take into account your own monitors calibration (or lack of) when viewing the captures too.
 +
 
 +
=== Extron DVI-RGB 200: ===
 +
 
 +
[[File:Extron-dvirgb200-sm.jpg]]
 +
 
 +
*Discontinued, but often appears on eBay.
 +
*BNC outputs
 +
*DVI input ideal for OSSC 1.5 or older
 +
*DVI passthrough output available
 +
*PSU required for all resolutions
 +
 
 +
'''Image comparisons'''
 +
 
 +
Source:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/m9hOEQ
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/fD0og5
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/bKHeok
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/hSLzok
 +
*7. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Full): https://ibb.co/mfEBZQ
 +
*8. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/h3edEQ
 +
 
 +
Extron:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/iQ4TEQ
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/bLvDg5
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/cKdMZQ
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/jC8Yg5
 +
*5. Menu (RGB Full): https://ibb.co/nqPvuQ
 +
*6. Menu (RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/hfDoEQ
 +
 
 +
Overall a decent performance but nothing here that makes tracking down one of these units a high priority.
 +
 
 +
=== Gefen DVI to VGA ===
 +
 
 +
[[File:EXT-DVI-2-VGAN_MAIN-10.jpg‎]]
 +
 
 +
*Cost around £300/$400/€310 as of September 2017
 +
*DVI input ideal for OSSC 1.5 or older
 +
*Female VGA output
 +
*HDCP not supported
 +
*PSU required for Line x5 modes
 +
 
 +
'''Image comparisons'''
 +
 
 +
Source:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/m9hOEQ
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/fD0og5
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/bKHeok
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/hSLzok
 +
*7. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Full): https://ibb.co/mfEBZQ
 +
*8. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/h3edEQ
 +
 
 +
Gefen:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/i0S9M5
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/mLJuok
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/hB9pM5
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/nd3ig5
 +
*5. Menu (RGB Full): https://ibb.co/g2TS8k
 +
*6. Menu (RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/nJA78k
 +
 
 +
Nothing special here and rather pricey, there are better value options.
 +
 
 +
=== HD Fury 1 ===
 +
 
 +
[[File:hdfury-small.jpg]]
 +
 
 +
*Discontinued
 +
*Male VGA output
 +
*PSU required for Line x5 modes
 +
 
 +
'''Image comparisons'''
 +
 
 +
Source:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/m9hOEQ
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/fD0og5
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/bKHeok
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/hSLzok
 +
*7. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Full): https://ibb.co/mfEBZQ
 +
*8. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/h3edEQ
 +
 
 +
HDFury 1:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/nvxWZQ
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/fLupM5
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/dd1rZQ
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/cx2WZQ
 +
*5. Menu (RGB Full): https://ibb.co/k0DG15
 +
*6. Menu (RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/dSdzM5
 +
*7. Gray ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Full): https://ibb.co/nirfTk
 +
 
 +
Accurate enough to use out of the box with no extra tweaking. Reference quality image, an oldie but a goodie.
 +
 
 +
=== HD Fury 2 ===
 +
 
 +
[[File:Hd-fury-2.jpg]]
 +
 
 +
*Discontinued
 +
*Male VGA output
 +
*PSU required for higher resolutions
 +
 
 +
'''Image comparisons'''
 +
 
 +
Source:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/m9hOEQ
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/fD0og5
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/bKHeok
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/hSLzok
 +
*7. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Full): https://ibb.co/mfEBZQ
 +
*8. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/h3edEQ
 +
 
 +
HDFury 2 (RGB mode):
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/cgAkuQ
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/dh79M5
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/dp8S8k
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/fwbQuQ
 +
*5. Menu (RGB Full): https://ibb.co/ezMQuQ
 +
*6. Menu (RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/jhgEok
 +
*7. Gray ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Full): https://ibb.co/hUE0Tk
 +
 
 +
Surprisingly poor performance from this device in this test. It is possible that other firmware versions perform better.
  
 
=== HD Fury 3 ===
 
=== HD Fury 3 ===
  
−
[[HD Fury 3]]
+
[[File:HDFury3.jpg]]
−
 
  
 
*Cost around £220/$284/€260 as of April 2017
 
*Cost around £220/$284/€260 as of April 2017
Line 18: Line 141:
 
*Outputs to YPbPr or RGBHV
 
*Outputs to YPbPr or RGBHV
 
*USB powered
 
*USB powered
−
You were supposed to be the one! Ahem, well it doesn't crush black and it's got some cool features like shifting the picture left and right and being able to expand the RGB range (I couldn't get this to work) but from what I'm seeing it has some ringing and maybe it's doing some scaling? This is a reticule comparison on Halo: ImageImage
+
*Female VGA/D-Sub15 output
 +
 
 +
No black crush and some some useful additional features such as picture shifting/positioning and the ability to expand the RGB range (I couldn't get this to work). Nevertheless, this adapter appears to add a slight ringing/halo effect to the image, as can be seen in the screenshots below.
 +
 
 +
[[File:Tendak-example-halo.jpg‎]][[File:Hdfury-example-halo.jpg‎]]
 +
 
 +
It is difficult to see in these screenshots but the reticule has additional pixels around it that are of a darker value. When using the HD fury 3 they're not visible and the image looks a little softer.
 +
 
 +
=== HDFury Nano GX ===
 +
 
 +
[[File:Nano-gx.jpg]]
 +
 
 +
*Cost around £79/$90/€79 as of September 2017
 +
*Audio out
 +
*Gamma boost
 +
*No external PSU required
 +
 
 +
'''Image comparisons'''
 +
 
 +
Source:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/m9hOEQ
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/fD0og5
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/bKHeok
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/hSLzok
 +
*7. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Full): https://ibb.co/mfEBZQ
 +
*8. Grey ramp 0-100 IRE (CII set to RGB Limited, capture device set to RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/h3edEQ
  
−
It probably isn't clear in these shots but the reticule has these additional pixels around it that are of a darker value, through the HD fury 3 they're not visible not to mention it looks a little softer. I've tested against a component transcoder and it looks like exactly like the image I get from the Tendak/UnbradedHDMI to VGA. I made sure to play with the OSSC's 480p DVI/HDMI options too but it still wouldn't look correct. I wonder if the HD Fury 2 and the Nano are better in this regards?
+
HDFury:
 +
*1. Menu: https://ibb.co/eXSb15
 +
*2. Grey ramp (0-255): https://ibb.co/kYYG15
 +
*3. Pixel perfect (720p): https://ibb.co/isNyEQ
 +
*4. Crop (2x expanded): https://ibb.co/bM578k
 +
*5. Menu (RGB Full): https://ibb.co/kqe0Tk
 +
*6. Menu (RGB Limited): https://ibb.co/kuHn8k
  
−
Black detail comparison (Artificially brightened since photoshop gif output seems to mess with the image): Image
+
Accurate enough to use out of the box, with little or no further calibration. Recommended.
  
 
=== MECO female HDMI to male VGA ===
 
=== MECO female HDMI to male VGA ===
  
−
Image
+
[[File:Meko-hdmi-to-vga.jpg]]
−
-£9.60/$12.40/€11.37
+
 
−
-Audio out
+
*Cost around £9.60/$12.40/€11.37 as of April 2017
−
-Gender changer Female to Female required
+
*Audio out
−
-No power required
+
*Male VGA/D-Sub15 output
 +
*No external power supply required
 +
 
 +
Did not work/would not send a signal through to the CRT monitor (possibly a faulty unit).
  
−
Wouldn't send a signal through to the pc-CRT so can't comment on the picture, like the others, it doesn't use power nor does it have an option to be powered. The plastic case wasn't properly aligned so I might have had a broken version. If anyone has tested these then please let me know if you got it to work.
+
=== Tendak female HDMI to male VGA/DSUB ===
  
−
==== Tendak female HDMI to male VGA/DSUB ====
+
[[File:Tendak-hdmi-to-vga.jpg‎]]
  
−
Image -£13/$16.80/€15.40 (approximate prices) -Audio out -Would require a Female to Female gender changer to get it to connect to your pc-CRT -No power required
+
*Cost around £13/$16.80/€15.40 as of April 2017
 +
*Audio out  
 +
*Male VGA/D-Sub15 output
 +
*No external power supply required
  
−
This is the one I recommend as it doesn't crush black detail and should be easy to get on amazon. Comes with a warranty which is nice as these adapters can be fragile in my experience. Build quality is okay, the case is plastic and it feels fairly light, I think you'd need to be careful of dropping it.
+
Does not crush black detail, readily available, affordable and comes with a manufacturer warranty. Build quality is acceptable, the case is plastic and it feels fairly light. Overall this adapter is recommended.
  
−
ImageImage No crush on the grey ramp test: Image
+
[[File:Tendak-example-black-crush-halo.jpg]][[File:Unbranded-example-black-crush-halo.jpg]]
  
−
=== Unbranded DVI to VGA ===
+
No crush on the grey ramp test:
  
−
Image
+
[[File:Tendak-example-black-crush-ramp.jpg]]
−
-£3.36/$4.34/€3.98
+
 
−
-No power required
+
=== Unbranded DVI to VGA ===
 +
 
 +
[[File:Unbranded-dvi-to-vga.jpg]]‎
 +
 
 +
*Cost around £3.36/$4.34/€3.98 as of April 2017
 +
*No external power supply required
 +
*Female VGA/D-Sub15 output
 +
 
 +
Crushes blacks, as shown in the pictures below. Avoid these type of adapters.
 +
 
 +
[[File:Unbranded-example-black-crush-ramp.jpg]][[File:Unbranded-example-black-crush-halo.jpg]]
 +
 
 +
=== Unbranded female HDMI to female VGA ===
 +
 
 +
[[File:Female-hdmi-to_female-vga.jpg]]
 +
 
 +
(Branded version shown)
 +
 
 +
*Cost around £5/$6.50/€5.92 as of April 2017
 +
*Audio out
 +
*No external power supply required
 +
*Female VGA/D-Sub15 output
  
−
Crushes blacks. Avoid these type of adapters.
+
Quality of these adapters tends to vary. Some crush blacks while others work perfectly. Not recommended since you cannot be sure of the quality of the unit you're getting.
−
ImageImage
 
  
−
=== Unbranded female HDMI to female VGA (Branded version shown) ===
+
==Black detail comparison==
  
−
Image -£5/$6.50/€5.92 -Audio out -No power required
+
The gif below shows the differences in quality between the adapters. As you can see, the amount of black crush on some adapters is significant.
  
−
I've had several of these, one worked just as good Tendak with no black crush but died on me during testing, I might have had the monitor and OSSC powered so its destruction could be entirely my fault...Another would slightly crush black detail so they seem inconsistent. I originally bought these from eBay but they're almost half price on AliExpress, I have the cheapest model on the way to me for those who might be interested in the cheapest option and will update this thread when I test it. Can't recommend since you don't know if you'll get a good one.
+
http://i.imgur.com/iVoqIve.gif

Latest revision as of 11:06, 24 September 2017

Getting analogue video from your OSSC

The OSSC can be adapted to output analogue video simply and affordably by using any standard DVI/HDMI to VGA adapter. There are no special requirements for this adapter and pretty much any model on the market will suffice. This allows the unit to be used with high quality analogue only displays, such as PC CRT monitors, CRT projectors, etc.

Although this page was created with the OSSC in mind, there's no reason why these adapters couldn't be used with other processors or digital video equipment, but keep in mind that HDMI devices that use HDCP copy protection may not be compatible with adapters like these.

Tested HDMI/DVI to VGA adapters

Gunstar and Xer Xian from the Shmups forum (original thread [1]) have very kindly tested a number of HDMI/DVI to VGA adapters with the OSSC. Their findings are presented here. The community is encouraged to add to this page as other converters are tested.

For the converters tested by Xer Xian, all the screenshots in their original resolution (plus 1080p Pixel perfect) can be downloaded from http://www.mediafire.com/file/x998mhca1k5ly4n/DACs_shootout.rar

Note that the capture device used for the image comparisons was not fully calibrated and consequently the grey ramp in the source picture is not spot on. This doesn't invalidate the testing, as long as you evaluate the DACs' grey ramps by comparing them to the source, any deviation means the DAC is not neutral. Any artefacts present in these images were there to begin with and are most likely the fault of compression applied by the capture device. Remember to take into account your own monitors calibration (or lack of) when viewing the captures too.

Extron DVI-RGB 200:

Extron-dvirgb200-sm.jpg

  • Discontinued, but often appears on eBay.
  • BNC outputs
  • DVI input ideal for OSSC 1.5 or older
  • DVI passthrough output available
  • PSU required for all resolutions

Image comparisons

Source:

Extron:

Overall a decent performance but nothing here that makes tracking down one of these units a high priority.

Gefen DVI to VGA

EXT-DVI-2-VGAN MAIN-10.jpg

  • Cost around £300/$400/€310 as of September 2017
  • DVI input ideal for OSSC 1.5 or older
  • Female VGA output
  • HDCP not supported
  • PSU required for Line x5 modes

Image comparisons

Source:

Gefen:

Nothing special here and rather pricey, there are better value options.

HD Fury 1

Hdfury-small.jpg

  • Discontinued
  • Male VGA output
  • PSU required for Line x5 modes

Image comparisons

Source:

HDFury 1:

Accurate enough to use out of the box with no extra tweaking. Reference quality image, an oldie but a goodie.

HD Fury 2

Hd-fury-2.jpg

  • Discontinued
  • Male VGA output
  • PSU required for higher resolutions

Image comparisons

Source:

HDFury 2 (RGB mode):

Surprisingly poor performance from this device in this test. It is possible that other firmware versions perform better.

HD Fury 3

HDFury3.jpg

  • Cost around £220/$284/€260 as of April 2017
  • Audio out
  • Manual horizontal image shift control
  • Dual female HDMI inputs
  • Outputs to YPbPr or RGBHV
  • USB powered
  • Female VGA/D-Sub15 output

No black crush and some some useful additional features such as picture shifting/positioning and the ability to expand the RGB range (I couldn't get this to work). Nevertheless, this adapter appears to add a slight ringing/halo effect to the image, as can be seen in the screenshots below.

Tendak-example-halo.jpgHdfury-example-halo.jpg

It is difficult to see in these screenshots but the reticule has additional pixels around it that are of a darker value. When using the HD fury 3 they're not visible and the image looks a little softer.

HDFury Nano GX

Nano-gx.jpg

  • Cost around £79/$90/€79 as of September 2017
  • Audio out
  • Gamma boost
  • No external PSU required

Image comparisons

Source:

HDFury:

Accurate enough to use out of the box, with little or no further calibration. Recommended.

MECO female HDMI to male VGA

Meko-hdmi-to-vga.jpg

  • Cost around £9.60/$12.40/€11.37 as of April 2017
  • Audio out
  • Male VGA/D-Sub15 output
  • No external power supply required

Did not work/would not send a signal through to the CRT monitor (possibly a faulty unit).

Tendak female HDMI to male VGA/DSUB

Tendak-hdmi-to-vga.jpg

  • Cost around £13/$16.80/€15.40 as of April 2017
  • Audio out
  • Male VGA/D-Sub15 output
  • No external power supply required

Does not crush black detail, readily available, affordable and comes with a manufacturer warranty. Build quality is acceptable, the case is plastic and it feels fairly light. Overall this adapter is recommended.

Tendak-example-black-crush-halo.jpgUnbranded-example-black-crush-halo.jpg

No crush on the grey ramp test:

Tendak-example-black-crush-ramp.jpg

Unbranded DVI to VGA

Unbranded-dvi-to-vga.jpg‎

  • Cost around £3.36/$4.34/€3.98 as of April 2017
  • No external power supply required
  • Female VGA/D-Sub15 output

Crushes blacks, as shown in the pictures below. Avoid these type of adapters.

Unbranded-example-black-crush-ramp.jpgUnbranded-example-black-crush-halo.jpg

Unbranded female HDMI to female VGA

Female-hdmi-to female-vga.jpg

(Branded version shown)

  • Cost around £5/$6.50/€5.92 as of April 2017
  • Audio out
  • No external power supply required
  • Female VGA/D-Sub15 output

Quality of these adapters tends to vary. Some crush blacks while others work perfectly. Not recommended since you cannot be sure of the quality of the unit you're getting.

Black detail comparison

The gif below shows the differences in quality between the adapters. As you can see, the amount of black crush on some adapters is significant.

http://i.imgur.com/iVoqIve.gif

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